Tag Archives: Happy

Maybe you think that following peace and not a diet sounds too good to be true.

Well, the good news is that it is TOO GOOD and best of all it is TRUE.

We are living proof. And the cool thing is this: Our lives have not only changed in the area of our eating and the way we view our body, but also in every other area of our life! Following peace has literally given us a 180.

Yes, Peace with Food is a 180 from diets.

So what does it mean to follow peace, you’re wondering?

Following peace simply means that you are making choices that you will not only be happy with now, but also choices you will be happy with down the road. Peace with Food sees the now as well as the big picture.

One way we have learned to follow peace is to give our selves permission to eat the foods we love {even if these foods are considered “bad” by some}. We know that depriving our selves of these foods is a recipe for disaster.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t set limits on the food we love. We still have to use wisdom because there is no peace in excessive weight gain and poor health.

Another way we have learned to live in peace is in choosing our physical activity. Because Lara is not a fan of traditional exercise, she stays fit by being active around the house doing DIY projects and chasing kids. Robynn, on the other hand, likes working out, but she doesn’t want to be tied down to a workout plan, so she constantly mixes it up with running, light weights, and workout videos. When the weather is nice she takes it outdoors.

That’s just a sampling of what we do. The question is, what works for you? What choices will give you peace in the now as well as in the future? That is the answer you are after.

That is what it means to follow peace.

Take-Home Message:

Follow peace by making choices that bring you peace not only now but in the future as well.

The other night my family and I were hanging out after dinner. Doug and my daughter, Leanne, were snuggled up on the couch. I wasn’t really paying attention until I heard Doug ask, “Leanne, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

She paused for a second, and then replied, “I want to be me!”

I immediately stopped what I was doing. Time stood still for a second. Me….I want to be ME. That answer kept repeating over and over in my head. I want to be me when I grow up…who ever thinks to say that? Is that even an option to choose from?

I’m still in awe of hearing those words, and am reMinDed of all the things we can learn from children. They are so innocent, full of energy and confidence. Isn’t that the way we all want to live? And why can’t we? Why can’t you just want to be YOU?

It is easy to always want what we don’t have. The cars, the body, the money, the career, the perfect family…we constantly pick and choose areas in people’s life that we ‘want to be when we grow up’. The reality is, the people you want to be like, also want more in life. It is a vicious cycle and impossible to keep up.

Why do we do this to ourselves? It is so exhausting! We get so foCuSed on wanting to be someone else that we forget to APPRECIATE what has already be given to us. Be happy being YOU. YOU have something that no one else does. Don’t be so quick to wish it away. Enjoy it!

My husband, a sports buff, was telling me this story about how a collegiate coach was CoNteMpLaTing whether or not he should take a different coaching position. It would pay more money and bring more presitge, however, it would require that his family move to another city. Both he and his family were very HaPpY where they were. Not only did the coach love his job and his life, so did his family. As the coach debated over taking the new position a very wise person told him this:

“Don’t MeSs with happy.”

Good advice.

It is so easy to always want something just a little bit better, even though in reality, you are actually quite happy with what you have. Maybe it’s the house and neighborhood you live in, but due to pressure from the {Jones’} you feel the “need” to get a newer or better one. Or take, for example, your job. It could be that you LoVe your job and are completely happy there. You just wish you got paid a bit more.

Next time you want to make a change, it may be time to ask yourself if you’re happy right where you are. You may find that even with circumstances less than IdEaL you still are happy. If so, are you sure you want to mess with “happy”?

Need a FuN aNd hApPy twist in your decorating? Why not try something as simple as adding some different throw pillows? I found some fabric I loved and then had my friend, Kendall Follmer, from KeNdAll’s UpHolSterY make these pillows. I think they turned out FaBuLoUs!

PiNk and GrEeN are my two favorite colors! They are my “eYe cAnDy”! Can you tell?

These colors just make me HaPpY! Why not find some colors you LoVe and switch things up a bit? No doubt come fall and the holidays I’ll be gravitating towards other CoLorS and TeXtuRes (maybe fur or crocheted), but these pillows go perfectly with SuMmeR and the way it makes me feel!!

When I quit my job as a teacher and became a stay-at-home mom I thought my life was finally going to be everything I wanted it to be. I could hang out in my pajamas all day, didn’t have to keep track of time, and be present for every second of my daughter’s childhood. Sounds like a pretty gReAt LiFe, right?

I don’t know about you but if I have too many days where I’m not being productive or focusing on something that makes me excited I experience, what I call, tHe FuNk! I can go days maybe even weeks where I feel like I’m stuck. I lack MoTiVaTiOn to do anything, I’m not really excited about much, and I tend to focus on all the flaws and negative things going on in my life. This, of course, results in being a harder wife to live with and a mom that isn’t as peppy. There is so much truth to “Happy Wife, Happy Life!”

Even though staying busy makes your life a little more hectic, it can keep your mind from dwelling on the bad. I always tell Doug that I currently work harder than I ever have but I’m also happier than I’ve ever been. If I keep my mind busy on things that satisfy me I am less likely to struggle with self-confidence issues, negative thoughts about others and things that bother me. This of course results in me being a better and happier mom, wife, ChRiStIaN, etc.

Sound familiar? If so, pick yourself up by finding the quickest way you can turn around your day. Whether it is taking a bubble bath or painting your toenails a crazy color, do something to reverse “the funk” and change your way of thinking! If your outfit makes you feel fat, then go put on your skinny jeans! If your house feels dirty start by burning your favorite candle. If you can’t kick a bad thought go turn on a fun song or something to distract your mind for a while! You know the drill—and from there it should become contagious!